State of Influencer Marketing 2026 (Linqia)

Summary:

This report summarizes what big-brand marketers say they’ll do with influencer marketing in 2026: budgets, platforms, formats, AI, agency use, and success metrics.

It’s a Linqia report, so it has a commercial slant toward the services Linqia sells. Linqia says it surveyed 200+ enterprise marketers, meaning results reflect self-reported plans and opinions.

Highlights:
• 62% saw influencer budgets rise YoY;
• 33% expect to spend $5M+ in 2026.
• Instagram leads, followed by TikTok and YouTube.
• Engagement rate is the top metric; traffic ranks above conversions.

All respondents use short-form video (Stories close behind). Macro and micro creators are most used (tied), with nano growing sharply. Sponsored posts and ambassadorships lead, while live events, gifting, creator-generated content, and long-term deals are up.

Everyone plans to reuse creator content beyond creators’ channels — especially for paid and brand social — and most say it beats brand-made content.

AI is common for ideation and workflow, but most don’t plan to use virtual influencers. More marketers prefer specialist influencer agencies, with creative strategy the top partner need.

Caveats: it’s a vendor survey with limited methodological detail, heavy emphasis on intentions for 2026, and some mixing of survey results with Linqia’s own claims.